Truth and Lies
by Nerwen Aldarion
Summary: Prologue One shot: Agent Lisbon is working to catch a killer when her paths cross with FBI Agent Patrick Jane who is searching for a con artist that was conning her victim. He lends his hand in the investigation as only Jane can while she finds herself smitten with the FBI agent, but then there is a twist that Lisbon never saw coming.


Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Hey guys, You can blame my buddy SteeleSimz for this one, I wanted to work on something else but no, we had to start talking about Janet Evanovich's series and so this fic was born. This is a prequel one shot (acutaly one of two prequel one shots) for a full fic that will be coming out later. This one can stand alone and I hope you guys will enjoy it. I can't wait to see how many of you guys catch the twist at the end and I'm certain you'll be begging for more

* * *

Truth and Lies

Agent Teresa Lisbon was finishing up her second cup of coffee of the day before stepping out of her car and walking up to the mansion that was her newest crime scene. It was one of the largest homes in Sacramento in the wealthiest area, which meant she was going to have hell to pay with the media clamoring for her to catch the killer. But she didn't focus on the negative when she had to keep her head clear and her mind sharp.

Her team was waiting for her inside and Cho immediately started giving her the lowdown. Carter Hayes had been found dead by his maid that morning; apparently, there were two gunshots to his chest and no witnesses beyond the traumatized maid. Lisbon studied the crime scene itself with her team following her lead.

"What do we know?" She asked.

Rigsby was the one who stepped forward. "Local police said that Hayes was locked up in his house for the night, no one saw anyone come and go."

"No one would," Lisbon said as she looked outside. The nearest house was half a block a way and the tall hedges ensured privacy.

She turned her attention back to the room in front of her. On the mahogany coffee table, there was a tea set out; the crime scene techs were busy collecting the two cups. There was something about this scene that was bothering her and it was more than just the dead man in the overstuffed easy chair.

"I want Van Pelt running everything on Hayes," Lisbon declared, "His financials, phone records, cable bill, everything."

"Got it, boss," Rigsby said.

Lisbon looked back over the living room again, feeling like she was missing something. A tea service meant a guest, probably the killer but other than that, there was nothing pointing to anything unusual. Something was missing but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Let the crime scene techs finish here," Lisbon declared, "lets see what we can find back at HQ."

Back at the bureau, Lisbon was almost immediately called away for a meeting with Minelli who wanted to discuss her newest case. He warned her of Hayes's murder being a popular subject with the press and therefore every politician in California was breathing down his neck and subsequently hers. But she also knew that Minelli had her back and assured her that he had every confidence in her.

So Lisbon went back to her team with a good feeling but eager for updates to get the ball rolling on this one. As soon as she walked in Van Pelt quickly piped up that she had some news. "I went over the victims phone calls and I think I found something." She let Lisbon peek over her shoulder at the records. "He's been talking to a Bart Allen recently."

Lisbon frowned. "Bart Allen? Why do I feel like I should know that name?"

"He's the Flash," Cho told her.

"Who?"

"The Flash, a superhero from comic books."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding me." Cho shook his head and Lisbon almost rolled her eyes. "So, just crazy enough to be realistic but I have a feeling you're going to tell me Bart Allen does not wear spandex here."

"Well Bart Allen got a prepaid cell phone," Grace explained, "But he's not listed anywhere, he just popped up in California recently."

"So he's a fake," Lisbon concluded, "probably working to con Hayes for his money."

"Unless he really can run at the speed of light," Rigsby mused bringing a round of chuckles from all of them.

"Well we better hope not," Lisbon replied, "Because if he is our killer than someone is going to have to chase after him." She tapped the chair behind Rigsby, "That someone might be you."

"Will I get to wear a cape?"

Lisbon rolled here eyes. "Lets just find this guy, then we can start making superhero costumes for all of us."

She left them to continue with their own investigation and she settled into her office to call SACPD and find out if they had heard of any con artists that went by the name 'Bart Allen'.

She wasn't expecting much.

* * *

The rest of the evening passed with few leads on this mysterious man who had been working with Hayes was still out in public. Still she couldn't stay all night searching for a con artist, but going home was easy, getting her head there wasn't. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling thinking about the case and the unreasonable feeling that she was barking up the wrong tree.

Why did she feel like she was missing something so obvious?

Around two in the morning she gave up and did what she really wanted, she got in her car and headed for the crime scene. She wasn't entirely sure what she would find there, she just had this irrational idea that something would magically appear that would make everything make sense.

The house was dark of course and she let herself in, ignoring the evidence tape since she was the police after all. She carefully surveyed the living room but nothing jumped out at her, nothing that could potentially lead to the killer anyways.

She was about to give up and call it a night when she heard the creak of a door opening. Immediately she went for her gun and hid behind a wall, soft footsteps followed, closer and closer to the room she was in.

She timed her own entrance perfectly, whipping around the corner with her gun pointed at the intruder. "CBI put your hands up now!"

The intruder was startled but did as she asked. She walked a few steps to turn the light on and got her first good look at him.

He was tall with curly blonde hair and a very nice three-piece suit complete with a vest, he didn't look too concerned to have a gun pointed at him. In fact he was smiling…and what a smile. He had the kind of smile that would send electric shocks through any straight woman…and Lisbon was no exception. Still she had to be a professional even if this intruder was tall, blonde and handsome.

"Who are you and why are you trespassing on my crime scene?"

"I assure you I'm not here for any trouble."

"Breaking and entering is trouble."

"Well I didn't do any breaking," he told her, "just entering."

She didn't like the technicality he was using, especially since he was still avoiding her original questions. "You better tell me who you are right now."

He took a step towards her and smiled reassuringly, damn he had a good smile. "Like I said I'm not here for any trouble, I'm on your side." He took another step towards her. "My name is Patrick Jane, I'm with the FBI." She raised an eyebrow while he slowly moved one of his hands to his vest pocket. "Now I'm going to pull out my badge and show it to you."

She kept her gun sights on him as he followed through on his word, he handed her the badge and she took a look at it. His picture, name and the seal of the FBI was on it. And now this case went from frustrating to very interesting.

She lowered her gun and faced him. "What the hell is an FBI agent doing breaking into my crime scene?"

"I think you and I have more in common then you think," Agent Jane said. "Let me guess, you're victim was being conned before he died and you think this man is the killer."

"How did you know that?"

"Because I've been chasing that con artist myself," he explained, "All I'm offering now is a chance for both of use to get our man."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Minelli wasn't happy getting dragged out of bed early in the morning to speak to an FBI agent that had disturbed one of his own agent's crime scene. Lisbon expected there to be a lot of blustering and yelling, but when the two men walked out of Minelli's office her boss was laughing and talking about the Angel's baseball game.

At that point she really didn't know what to think about Patrick Jane but obviously he had some kind of magic powers if he could make Minelli forget he'd been woken up early that morning.

"Agent Lisbon," Minelli said, calling her forward. "You'll be working with Patrick Jane here on this case, see if you can catch this guy as soon as possible. You both have supreme confidence."

"Thank you, sir," Lisbon replied and she was left alone with Agent Jane. She turned to give him a quizzical look. "What did you do to him?"

"I did nothing."

"I had to call him at three in the morning once to tell him I'd caught a suspect once and he told me to wait three more hours next time," Lisbon explained. "I know he was joking but I also know he's a bear when he doesn't get his coffee so how did you turn him into a pussycat?"

He looked her in the eye. "You really want to know?"

"I did ask."

He leaned down and she felt that same flutter in her belly when he'd first smiled at her. "I'm psychic," he whispered.

It was like a dousing of cold water. "You can't be serious."

"Of course not," Jane agreed, "but he's a man who just needs a bit of a reminder of the finger things in life…that and I brought him cup of strong coffee."

She shook her head, amused of course. But she had to stick to business. "This is my team, my case."

"Of course," he agreed.

"Then I don't' see why we can't work together, Agent Jane."

"Oh no need to be that formal," he told her, "Patrick will do."

"Jane," she stressed the name, determined to keep boundaries. "I'll want you to tell me everything about the man you are looking for. It's likely he killed Carter Hayes."

"He was definitely trying to swindle Hayes," Jane agreed, "But he didn't kill him."

"Excuse me?"

"He didn't kill him," Jane repeated, "its that simple."

"How on earth could you possibly know that?"

"Because he's a con artist, he tricks suckers out of their money and valuables and goes on his merry way," Jane explained, "murder isn't his style, he's in it for thrills and the fun. Murder is far too messy for him."

Lisbon shook her head. "It isn't a far stretch to move from robbery to murder."

"If we were talking about a bank robber than I would agree with you," Jane told her. "But this man is far more sophisticated to go around shooting people, besides, the con wasn't over yet. Why kill the man before he'd finished?"

She stared at him for a moment, taking in Jane's words. "Okay, let's say for the moment that I agreed with you. That leaves me without a suspect."

Jane just grinned. "Then it's a good thing I'll be here to help you find another one."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She brought Agent Jane to the bullpen to meet the rest of the team; all three seemed perfectly fine at the idea of sharing an investigation with an FBI agent. Jane cut to the chase after the necessary greetings were put aside. "What do you know so far besides that Hayes was obviously a gullible man?"

"Well we were still looking into the idea that the con artist might be involved.

Jane smiled. "I already told Lisbon here that you are all barking up the wrong tree, murder isn't his style."

Cho looked a little unsure. "And we should take your word for it."

"No," Lisbon stepped in, "but Agent Jane has been following our Mr. Bart Allen for a long time. If he says that he didn't commit murder then we must admit the possibility that he is right. We shouldn't bias ourselves anyways." She ignored Jane's look and focused on her team. "So what else do we know?"

"His wife was out of town at the time," Grace replied, "but the police have spoken to her, she says she doesn't know who would kill him."

"A major businessman who doesn't have enemies?" Jane asked, "That's like a politician who doesn't lie."

She had to agree with that. "Anything else?"

"His brother was interviewed by SACPD," Rigsby replied, "he thought maybe his wife would be involved but that was all."

"What about the mistress?" Jane asked.

"What mistress?" Lisbon asked, as the other members of her team stared at Jane equally as confused.

He pointed at one of the pictures on the crime scene. "Well if his wife was out of town who left their clutch in the living room table?"

Lisbon looked over at the picture and saw a small silver clutch sitting on the table just as he said. "I'll be damned. Did the crime scene techs mention anything?"

Rigsby flipped through the paperwork until he found it. "Says the clutch was empty except for $43."

"No ID?"

"Why would she need it?" Jane asked, she was on the arm of a big wig. And she probably didn't want to risk him finding out her real age."

That caused a round smirks at that last comment, even Lisbon had to admit defeat there. "All right, Grace start trying to find out who his mistress is, try his cellphone and credit card records, he has to be calling and spending money on her."

"Perhaps a visit with the wife would be a good idea," Jane speculated, "we could talk to her together, find out what she knows about the murder and our comic loving con man."

She tried very hard not to smile at the last phrase. "You're right, Cho can hold down the fort while they track down this mistress."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Lisbon wasn't sure how she felt sharing a car and an investigation with a man she hardly knew but she felt both at ease and nervous around Agent Jane. He was charming and friendly but she got the sense he saw more than he admitted and it didn't help that he was so devastatingly attractive. It was hard to speak around him sometimes, she felt like a teenage girl with a crush.

But she was a professional, she needed to know more about his case to better understand her own.

"What can you tell me about this con artist?" Lisbon asked, breaking the ice between them.

Jane smiled knowingly. "He's been operating for about four years, I was given the case eighteen months ago."

"What has he done?"

"Quite a bit, he robbed a stock broker of a couple million by pretending to be a up and coming business mogul named Peter Quill, the man believed he was the owner of a new social media website that would be the next Facebook." Jane leaned back into his chair. "Then there was the time he posed as a gay architect who was helping to renovate a 1920's mansion the CEO of a computer programming company was buying, he went by the name Arthur Curry in that scam. He helped build a one of a kind mansion but knew all of the ways in and out of the place, a week after it was finished he and his crew cleaned him out of everything not nailed to the walls."

Jane caught her eye. "But my absolute favorite was when he tricked a Turkish ambassador that he was the head of a security company who could protect his valuable collection of Babylonian idols. He went by the name Bruce Wayne on that one."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope," Jane told her, "he got away with it because Batman isn't popular in Turkey apparently."

Lisbon shook her head and grinned. "He has some balls, I'll give him that."

"The best con artists do."

They pulled up outside of a high-rise four-star hotel that Hayes's wife was currently staying at now that her home was a crime scene. The concierge sent them up to the top floor suite A and when they knocked on the door a woman with dyed blonde hair in her mid forties answered. "Can I help you?"

"I'm agent Lisbon with the CBI, this is Agent Jane with the FBI, we want to talk to you about the death of your husband."

"I already spoke to the police about that."

"Well we have a few more questions for you," Lisbon explained politely but she could tell this woman was already annoyed So much for the grieving widow. Mrs. Hayes let them in grudgingly and took a seat at the little table by the window, immediately lighting up a cigarette.

"What do you want to know?" She asked, puffing on her cigarette.

"Have you heard of a man your husband was working with, he went by Bart Allen?"

She nodded. "Carter was getting some paintings appraised by him."

That was the first time Lisbon had heard of that, but not Jane. "You're talking about the Rembrandts your husband owned."

"Those are them."

Lisbon turned to Jane looking a little bewildered. "Carter Hayes's father is famous for having some of the earliest Rembrandts including some original sketches, the paintings passed to his son."

"How do you know this?"

"Why do you think I showed up at the house? I knew exactly what he was going after."

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Hayes asked, not liking being ignored obviously.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We have reason to believe that Bart Allen is actually a con artist who was trying to rob your husband."

Her eyes widened. "You think he killed Carter."

"No." Jane said right as Lisbon said. "It's a possibility." She gave him an annoyed look at that one.

Jane just grinned. "What about your husband's mistress."

"His what?"

"His mistress," Jane repeated. "A rich man like him, he had to have had something on the side, someone younger now that his wife is getting up there."

Lisbon watched the woman's eyes turn to slits of anger. Then she grabbed the crystal paperweight and hurled it at Jane's head.

He had quick reflexes and ducked out of the way, not looking perturbed in the least. "How dare you!" Mrs Hayes screeched.

Lisbon wanted to hit Jane herself; she was just as stunned that an FBI agent would be so blunt. "I apologize Mrs. Hayes."

"Oh don't do that," Jane told her, "because she's hiding something. You see, you didn't react at all when Agent Lisbon mentioned your husband had a mistress, you only got upset when I mentioned your age. So you not only knew of your husband's affairs, you know whom. Why don't you give us the name and we'll be on our way?"

Mrs. Hayes was fuming mad, that much was obvious. She glared at Jane as if he was snake before growling out. "Lisa Kepler."

"Thank you," Jane told her, "I have no doubt you'll be happy with your settlement."

"Go to hell!"

Both of them hurried out of the room and once they were in the hallway Lisbon let her true feelings out. "What the hell was that?"

"Police work."

"Not from what I saw!" Lisbon seethed. "You insulted a witness."

Jane shrugged it off. "She had nothing, she didn't kill her husband, she couldn't care less if he was alive or dead and the Rembrandts aren't hers anymore anyways, she didn't gain from his death."

"Excuse me?"

"You really should do a little more research, Agent Lisbon," Jane explained, "when Hayes's father died he left his Rembrandts to his eldest son under the stipulation they remain in the family, they pass to Carter's brother now that he passed."

"You seriously think this is just about the damn paintings?"

"It's a distinct possibility."

"What about the mistress?"

Jane shrugged. "Perhaps if she wanted more, but the wife didn't do it. She doesn't care either way. They didn't have a marriage they had an agreement. She's useless now."

Lisbon's head was spinning. "How do you know all of this?"

He grinned. "Everyone has tells, you just have to see them."

She shook her head. "We're going back to the CBI to talk to the team, any other information you want to share on the way."

"I have a few ideas but nothing worth sharing at the moment."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm beginning to think you are more trouble then you're worth."

"That's what everyone says."

* * *

When the got back to the CBI they found out the team had discovered the name of Hayes's mistress around the same time they had. They'd also called in Carter's brother Derek, who brought his own wife in to the interview. Cho brought them to a conference room to put the couple at ease, an interrogation room might have riled them up and no one wanted him to call a lawyer.

But Lisbon couldn't stop Jane from sitting in; it wasn't like she had the authority to tell an FBI agent what to do. At least he stood in the back as if he was merely observing but she had a feeling he would step in if and when something perked his interest.

"I still can't believe he's gone," Derek Hayes admitted, "I mean he wasn't the most humble man in the room but he was my brother." His wife rubbed his arm affectionately, looking as forlorn as her husband.

"Do you know anyone who would want to kill him?" Cho asked.

"My brother wasn't known for making friends," Derek explained, "you could talk to his business partners about the latest enemies he'd made but it will be a long list."

"What about a man named Bart Allen?"

Derek looked confused. "The curator?"

"Yes."

"Why would he want to kill my brother? Without him the paintings don't get appraised and he doesn't get paid."

"Well he wasn't a curator," Cho pointed out, "We don't even know his real name, we just now he was probably planning on stealing your brothers paintings."

Derek looked stunned by that statement. "Are you serious?" They didn't say anything; their eyes spoke for them. "My brother was being scammed? Is that who killed him?"

"We are pursuing it," Cho explained.

"Well I hope so, I want this man dead if that is the case. I can't believe this happened!"

Jane didn't say the man he was chasing was innocent of murder this time. Instead he went a different route."

"Do you know who your brother was having an affair with?"

Derek looked up at Jane. "Excuse me?"

"You're brother, he had a mistress, we're trying to find out who she is." Lisbon wasn't sure where he was going with this since they already knew the mistress's name but she wasn't going to jump in and accuse another law officer of lying either.

The victim's brother shook his head. "No idea, you Ellen?"

Ellen cleared her throat and shook her head as well. "None, at all."

They let Derek go after that and as soon as she was alone she turned to Jane. "What was that all about?"

"Oh I had an idea," Jane told her.

"What idea?"

"Just the beginnings of one," he explained, "nothing to fret over."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "We're sharing this investigation, you are supposed to keep me informed."

"And so I have," Jane replied, "And when I have something to inform you, I will inform you."

She groaned. "Are you always this belligerent?"

"No, just when I'm hungry, speaking of, how does dinner sound?"

She blinked a couple of times. "What?"

"You must know a place to get something to eat around here, care to keep collaborating over a meal?"

Was he asking her out? Lisbon flushed a little at the thought and could have sworn his smile grew when she did. "I…There is Eddie's it's got really good sandwiches across the street."

"Perfect."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Lisbon found herself sitting across from Jane at the restaurant waiting for the waitress to return with their sandwiches. Once they were alone she stared at him, still bewildered by all of this. Jane finally just chuckled. "What is it?"

"I don't understand you."

He shrugged. That's not an uncommon feeling."

"Do you ever give a straight answer?"

"Occasionally." She slapped her napkin down in frustration, which made him laugh. "All right, I'll answer your questions."

She looked him in the eye. "You don't have the same training as an officer. So who are you?"

"I'm an FBI agent tracking a con man," Jane repeated, "and the folks in the federal government decided that the best way to catch a crook is to use another one."

Her eyes widened at the implication. "You mean you're a crook?"

"Depends on your definition," Jane told her, "I pretended to be a psychic for many years, not illegal but many frown upon it."

She relaxed marginally. "So a con artist tracking down another con artist."

"Something like that."

"And how did you become an FBI agent?"

Now Jane looked a little uncomfortable. "It was my wife." This was the first she'd ever heard of him being married but something told her this wasn't a happy story. "She never liked my work, always wanted me to get out, to do something better, something good. She was driving home with our daughter when another driver fell asleep behind the wheel." His jaw was set now, she could tell there was still some unresolved anger there. "It was quick, at least that was what they said, but it doesn't give much comfort to lose your family in an instant."

She reached across the table instinctually to take his hand, he squeezed it in gratitude. "It was a while ago," Jane explained, "time helps." He sighed but didn't let go of her hand. "After that I decided I wanted to make her proud. So I tossed my hat in with law enforcement and here I am."

"And just like that, they accepted you?"

"I get results," Jane told her, "the criminals we chase don't commit crime in neat little box, so why are cops always restricted to it? We have to step outside to catch them."

"I never thought of it that way."

"That's because you are as straight laced as they come," Jane replied, "I'm betting you have law enforcement in your family, either a cop or a firefighter, am I right?"

"How on earth could you know that?"

Jane smirked. "I was the best psychic you would ever meet for a reason. Just as I can tell you have your own dark past, stemming from your mother's early death."

Lisbon bristled at that. "I don't talk about that."

"No I imagine not," Jane replied, "But I am sorry for your loss, believe me when I say I know exactly how you feel."

She sat there, staring into his eyes and she believed him. She could tell he'd been through severe loss himself, just as she had, maybe even had a rough childhood too. And here they were, connected by the same need to do the right thing. She looked down to see their hands still joined, his larger hand warming hers. Lisbon looked back up into his eyes and saw something else, something stormy and dark that sent a thrill through her.

Lisbon imagined herself taking him home, seeing how his eyes looked in the dark shadows of her bedroom. The thought made her flush with heat, a strong desire she had to quell and fast. They were cops on a case. Nothing more.

She dropped his hand quickly and took a sip of her water, as if that was what she wanted all along. "So…you must be anxious to get your man."

"Not anxious," Jane told her, "Determined, but confident I'll succeed."

"He must be long gone now."

"Probably," he conceded, "but I'm not about to leave yet. I want to see this case through."

She nodded. "Because you're a cop."

"Amongst other things."

His tone was deliberate and made her blush once more. "If the murderer isn't your con artist, then who is?"

Jane smirked but broke the tension between them. "That's the question of the day isn't it?"

"You think we still need to talk to the mistress?"

"Of course," He told her, "she might give us the final piece to this puzzle."

Lisbon shook her head. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like you."

"I'm happy you said that," Jane replied, "I'd hate to think I was an average man."

She gave him her attempt at a sultry look and took another sip of water. The waitress came then with their sandwiches and they had other tasks than flirting. Still she couldn't deny she was very intrigued by Agent Jane.

Suddenly she couldn't wait for this case to be over to see what else he was about.

* * *

Day two of the investigation with Agent Jane started off just as exciting as Hayes's mistress was finally located and brought down for questioning. Lisa Keplar was young, very blonde and wore jeans so tight Lisbon was sure they must be cutting off circulation. She also was not very happy to brought into the CBI for questioning.

"I don't know anything," she declared over and over again even before the questioning started.

"Then this shouldn't take long," Jane said as he and Lisbon took a seat across from her.

"Look, I wasn't there when Carter died. I didn't kill him and I don't know who did."

"Do you know anything about a Bart Allen?"

Lisa looked confused. "Who?"

Well that answered that question. "So you don't have any idea of who would kill him?"

"Carter and I didn't discuss business," Lisa explained, "except our own."

 _This one is a piece of work_ Lisbon thought. "Then where were you the night he was killed?"

"With someone else."

She didn't think it was possible to be more surprised but she was. Was this woman an escort or something? "Then why was your bag at his home?"

"Excuse me?"

Lisbon pulled out the photograph and pointed at the clutch. "Isn't this yours?"

Lisa picked up the photo and studied it before shaking her head. "It's not mine, I prefer gold to silver." She put the photo down and said off hand. "Must belong to his other girlfriend."

That was news to them. " _Other_ girlfriend?"

Lisa nodded. "Some brunette tramp I saw him with a couple of times, older than me which was surprising but Carter would put it wherever he wanted."

"You don't know anything about her?"

"Nope."

Jane smiled sweetly at Lisa. "Thank you, you've been a tremendous help to us. You can go now."

Before Lisbon could protest Lisa had bolted from the room. She glared at the FBI agent next to her. "What the hell was that?"

"We don't need her anymore."

"You don't know that!"

"Actually I do," Jane said. "I said she might provide us the final piece of the puzzle and she has. No I know exactly how to catch this killer."

Lisbon wasn't sure of him by any means. "How?"

"By introducing them to Bart Allen."

"We don't know who he is!"

Jane just gave her a knowing grin and she knew immediately this was going to be trouble.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

That afternoon she was proving herself right.

"This is a terrible idea," Lisbon told him for the tenth time.

"Relax," Jane told her, "It's fool proof."

"Now that is a bald faced lie."

"Okay, maybe not fool proof," Jane conceded, "But it's going to work."

In the conference room Carter Hayes's wife, brother and sister-in-law were waiting impatiently. "What is going on?" Hayes's widow asked.

"I thought we answered all of your questions earlier," the other Mrs Hayes, Ellen, replied.

"We have news," Jane told them with a confident smile. "We've found Bart Allen."

"Did he confess?" Derek Hayes asked.

"Not yet," Lisbon replied, "But we have reason to believe that he isn't guilty of murdering your brother."

"You can't believe him! He's a con artist."

"We have to explore every possibility," Lisbon said calmly, "And he has some interesting things to share." She nodded to Cho. "Bring him in."

Cho stepped out and after a moment came back with Bart Allen.

Or rather Rigsby dressed up in a nice suit and putting on a fake Irish accent. As soon as he opened his mouth Lisbon had to hide her cringing, this was beyond a bad idea.

"I am innocent, I did not kill Mr. Hayes, he was my client!"

Jane stepped forward. "Mr. Allen, or is it Peter Quill or Bruce Wayne? We know you aren't who you say you are, and we know you aren't an actual curator. We also know you were there the night Carter Hayes died…but you saw someone else?"

"Aye, I did," Rigsby as Allen said.

"Who?"

He pointed to Ellen Hayes. "I saw her that night. She was with Carter."

Ellen looked stunned and frightened. "I…I can explain."

"You were at his home the night he died," Lisbon repeated, "And yet you neglected to tell us."

"It's not what you think."

"We think you might be capable of murder," Cho said.

"I didn't kill Carter!" Ellen explained, "I was…I was with him."

Her sister-in-law gaped at her. "You were screwing my husband?"

Ellen flinched but didn't respond while Jane actually softened. "You didn't kill him…but you know who did."

"I…I didn't say that."

"You left without taking your purse," Jane replied, "You must have been in a hurry, flustered. Which means you were there when he died…and you must know the killer because why would you cover it up? Someone like your husband?"

All eyes turned to Derek Hayes who immediately started blustering. "What is the meaning of this."

"You found out your brother was sleeping with your wife and you killed him," Jane stated, "It's actually a common story."

"I did nothing of the sort!"

"Of course you did," Jane said. "Only two people in this room looked scared when our friend Bart here said he saw someone at the house that night, you and your wife. And when your wife admitted her infidelity, you didn't look surprised at all, because you already knew."

"I…I…"

"Tell them the truth, Derek," Ellen urged. "They already know."

Derek turned white and seemed to be wavering in confidence before finally simply stating. "He deserved it."

Lisbon shook her head in disgust. "Rigsby, arrest him and read him his rights."

To their surprise, the man they thought was Bart Allen stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs. "What is going on?" Mrs. Hayes asked.

"A bit of theater to catch your husband's killer," Jane told her with a wink. "Might not win us any Oscars but I think we all did a pretty good job."

"I can't believe this!" Derek exclaimed, "I want my lawyer."

"Sure," Rigsby said, dropping the accent entirely. "And you can tell him you confessed in front of four cops and that your wife was the one who gave you up."

He led Derek away while the remaining two looked warily at each other. Lisbon turned to Jane while he just smirked. "I told you it would work."

"Remind me never to do this again."

* * *

With the case closed Lisbon found herself finishing up the paperwork while trying her best not to think about how disappointed she actually was that it was finally over. It was a terrible thing to feel but she wished they could have held off on finding the killer for another day or two if only to be able to spend just a little more time with the intriguing Agent Jane. It was foolish, she was a CBI agent and he worked for the FBI, she wasn't someone who mixed her professional life with her personal life but it was very hard to not want to cross that line every time he flashed that enigmatic smile.

But there was no point in it anyways, the case was over and Agent Jane was probably readying to get back to Washington and keep hunting down the con man he was chasing.

Lisbon kept telling herself that every few minutes as she tried to keep her mind on the paperwork, but when the man himself walked into her office it took a lot of willpower not to grin like a schoolgirl seeing her crush. "I thought you'd be preparing for your trip back east," Lisbon said, hoping her voice sounded even and not excited.

"I probably should be," Agent Jane admitted, "But I'm a little distracted by other matters."

A thrill went through her and there was no hiding the way her face flushed, she just hoped he didn't notice. "Well I'm finishing up my report right now, I'm sure it is a relief that this case is put away. Even if it is a shame your man got away."

Jane shrugged. "I'll catch him eventually, I'm nothing if not persistent."

"I don't doubt it," Lisbon agreed, "if you pursue this guy with the same creativity and finesse as you did with Hayes I have no doubt you'll be catching him within the month."

"Creativity and finesse?" Jane repeated with a soft smile on his lips, "And here I thought you were going to say outlandish and foolish."

She ducked her head to hide her smile. "Maybe I rushed to judgment when you first proposed the idea but I can't deny the results. We got our man."

"And I believe you had a little fun in the process."

"You'll never get me to admit that."

He laughed then at her stubbornness and shook his head with mirth. "I must confess, I will miss working with you. I can't recall a more enjoyable person to work with."

"I'll admit, I haven't found an FBI agent that I could stand more than you."

"Now that is a real compliment," He replied and they both laughed. "How long are you going to stay here doing paperwork? The case is over and you should go home."

"Perhaps," Lisbon agreed. She hesitated for a moment but decided to go for it, she would regret it otherwise. "Would you like to come over for a cup of coffee?"

She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

"I would love to."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

He followed her in his rental car while Lisbon tried to temper her expectations. It was just coffee after all. But her mind betrayed her, reminding her what she _really_ wanted. It was reckless and foolish since he was a fellow officer but they weren't actually working together so it wasn't truly breaking her own rule.

Lisbon led him up to her apartment and tried her best to play it cool. She headed straight for her kitchen. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Black," he told her and she nodded, silently approving of his choice. Just like the FBI agent he was to take his coffee strong without adornments.

She was putting the coffee grounds in the filter when he came up behind her and put a hand on hers to stop her movements. Her heart started racing as she turned her head to meet his eyes, feeling the heat of his body and his warm breath on her ear. "How badly do you want that coffee?" He asked her, his voice low and husky.

The answer to that was, not at all.

They both leaned forward to seal the distance between them with a soft kiss, testing the waters as they gave in to the attraction that had been sizzling between them for days.

Soon tenderness gave way to passion as he hoisted her up on the counter to press closer to her and explored her mouth with his tongue as his hands mapped out her body. She held on to his shoulders for fear she would melt onto the floor otherwise, every touch felt like fire was running through her veins.

He stepped between her legs and she felt how much this was affecting him too. He groaned as she pushed up against him, the many layers of clothing not able to disguise the heat of their desire. His mouth traveled from her lips, up her jaw to her ear where he whispered. "I like officer relations like this."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is this how you always interact with local law enforcement."

"None have ever been as beautiful as you."

That comment made her shiver with pleasure at the knowledge she was the special one. They resumed their heavy petting and passionate kissing for a while until they were both breathless and eager to feel more without the impediment of their heavy clothing.

Lisbon slid off the counter and took his hand as she led him out of her kitchen towards her bedroom. It didn't escape her that she rarely let men into her apartment, even for one-night-stands, she preferred the ability to escape afterwards. But Patrick Jane had a way of breaking through her defenses.

Once in her room she didn't waste time in undoing the buttons on his vest and shirt while he divested her of her jacket, blouse and bra before she'd even come close to finishing with him. Her own work was interrupted as his hands trailed over her breasts soon to be followed by his mouth. She moaned and sank her fingers into his curls when he found her nipple, biting gently with her teeth before soothing with his tongue.

While he had her quaking with his mouth his hands were busy taking off her pants and dipping beneath her panties to find her wet core. His fingers circled there, building up her ecstasy until her legs shook she couldn't stand anymore. Jane lowered her onto the bed, petting her with gentle strokes and calming her while continuing to stoke the fire.

She reached up to take off his shirt and do the same to his pants but he stopped her hands at his belt and gave her a sly smile. "Oh no, we are most definitely not rushing this." Lisbon gave him a small glare that made him chuckle. "Most men would gladly have their way with you and be done with it," he leaned down closer to her, his breath fanning her face. "But I am not most men."

He gave her a quick passionate kiss before leaving a trail of fire down her neck across her chest. He found her breasts again, kneading and sucking until she was writhing once more beneath him. Then Jane started leaving hot wet kisses down her stomach, dipping his tongue into her belly button to taste her ski and then dipping even lower. Her legs started shaking as his thumbs hooked on the band of her panties and he lowered them down her thighs with excruciating slowness, feeling the smooth skin of her legs along the way.

She looked up at him; liquid eyes curious as to his purpose and his wolfish smile only thrilled her even more. Jane bent his head to taste her, his tongue and fingers working simultaneously to cause a swell of ecstasy with in her. Her legs moved uninhibited and she grasped for something to hold on to in order to brace herself for the tide. She felt it swelling, her climax starting to crest higher and higher until finally with a small cry the wave crashed and she was lost in the bliss.

Lisbon panted, trying to catch her breath as Jane rose to divest himself of the rest of her clothing. She reached for him as he moved to cover her body with his but he still did not move to where she wanted him to be. Instead he continue to use his lips and hands to bring the fire raging within her once more until she finally leaned up to whisper in his ear. "Are you going to make your move or do you need me to tell you how?"

He gave her a dark smile of passion before doing as she commanded, grasping himself to guide inside of her. She sighed in bliss while Jane groaned at finally feeling her hot walls around him. His rhythm was firm and steady while Lisbon met him thrust for thrust, wrapping her legs around him so her heels rested above his buttocks, her hands grasping his shoulders to hold him close.

Jane rained kisses on her cheeks, her nose, her lips, anywhere he could reach while panting into her ear as he continued to build her up again, the pleasure mounting even higher than before. One powerful thrust hit a particularly sensitive spot and she gasped, holding him tighter as she the storm filled her.

Her hands roamed down over his chest and back up to his shoulders and back, his skin slick with sweat while the heat flamed higher between them both. Jane moved faster, harder, and she held on as much as she could until suddenly she felt herself fall over the edge into an oblivion she had never felt before.

Her orgasm continued to wash over her as he kept up his movements, she felt him grow larger within her and knew he was soon to follow. A few more thrusts and he groaned in her ear, warmth filling her along with the pleasure they both felt.

She delighted in the feel of his body on top of her, running her fingertips over the skin of his back. He turned his head to kiss her softly before rolling off of her and pulling her against his side. She smiled against his chest. "I suppose we did our part in improving relations between our two departments."

Jane chuckled and let his fingertips glide over her arm and chest. "I would say we have been very successful." He turned her chin up to face him so he could lean down and taste her lips again. Then he leaned back and sighed. "I wish I didn't have to go back to Washington. The mall of D.C. doesn't hold a candle to Sacramento."

Lisbon loved hearing that, especially since at the moment she couldn't imagine not seeing him again. She hated that thought, especially since Washington was so far away from California. Maybe they could try…but it wouldn't be easy, damn near impossible really.

She turned her thoughts from such unpleasantness by rolling on top of him. "Then perhaps we should make the most of it."

His eyes quickly darkened with desire and he pulled her down to kiss her thoroughly. "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

Lisbon awoke the next morning with a smile on her face but her bed was empty beside her. She rolled over to see her alarm clock blocked with a sticky-note that had a man's even writing on it.

 _You deserve to rest after last night. I'll see you later._

Her smile grew at the last sentence; happy to know that last night was not the last she would see of Patrick Jane. She stretched leisurely, the ache of her muscles pleasant from the exertions of the night before.

She saw that she would be cutting it close to get to work on time but for once she shrugged it off, being a little late was certainly worth it. Lisbon was getting ready when her phone rang and she saw that it was Minelli. "This is Agent Lisbon."

"Lisbon, you need to get down here ASAP, someone broke into lock up and they used your badge."

"What?"

"Get your ass down here, now!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She'd never driven that fast to the CBI before in her life, there was no stopping the quell of panic within her. How could someone use her badge to get into lockup? She always kept it on her for God's sake! It must be some sort of mistake!

Minelli was obviously angry when she arrived. "What the hell is going on here, Lisbon?"

"I have no idea," she admitted. "I don't know how someone got my badge but it must be some sort of mistake."

"They're bringing up the tape, we'll see who the hell this bastard is."

It was actually a relief that Minelli was expressing more rage at the man who had broken into lock up then at herself, but she knew she deserved quite a bit of the blame. "What did they take?"

"A goddamned tea cup."

"A cup?" Lisbon asked incredulously, "That's it?"

"Yes," Minelli replied, "guns, drugs, everything at their disposal and all they take is a damn cup!"

The audio-tech guy came up then with the tape and quickly brought it up on the computer for them all to view. It only took a moment for Lisbon to recognize the man traipsing into lockup. "Agent Jane? Why…why would he do that?"

Minelli glowered at the screen. "I'm calling Bishop, I need to know what the hell his man was thinking."

Lisbon was left in a fog as she could not look away from the image in front of her. Why would Jane take her badge and use it to get into lock up? Especially when he was an FBI agent, what did he need her badge for? There had to be a mistake, he must have needed the cup for something, maybe it could lead him to the con artist he was after.

Minelli started shouting. "What do you mean you don't know him?! He's one of your goddamned agents!"

Lisbon turned around to see her boss's face turning purple in rage. "He was in my bureau, I saw his I.D. myself! No, why would I call you when I had his papers in front of me? What the fuck is going on?!"

Finally Minelli hung up with such force she thought he was going to break the phone. "There is no fucking Agent Jane in the FBI!"

"What?" Lisbon asked, not believing her ears.

"The bastard stood right in front of me!" Minelli yelled, "he was here and we all bought his bullshit!"

"If…if he's not FBI then what…?" Lisbon's head was swirling around as she realized exactly what was going on.

Patrick Jane wasn't chasing the conman.

He _was_ the confman.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Minelli was ranting and raving at everyone when she left, Lisbon shouldered some of the blame but Minelli was determined to take the brunt of it. He was furious that he had been fooled just as much as she had. She went to her office still in shock when she saw her badge sitting primly on her desk next to an origami frog.

She picked up the frog and stared at it for a moment before unfolding it and she saw Jane's even handwriting on it.

 _I'm sorry for the fuss but I couldn't leave without my favorite cup. I did have a wonderful time; I do hope we meet again._

She gripped the paper so hard it crumpled in her hands; with a rage she grabbed a paperweight on her desk and threw it across the room. It shattered on the floor in pieces, just missing the glass wall.

Lisbon heaved as she let the anger wash over her and she vowed then and there she would find Patrick Jane and take him down herself if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

A/N: hehehehe well what did you think? Jane as a con artist/theif? Lisbon bound and determined to catch him after humiliating her? Doesn't that sound like the beginning of a fun fic? Just wait!


End file.
